1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and printing method. Particularly, the present invention relates to a printing apparatus and printing method which bitmap information transferred from a host computer via an interface into image information and print the image on a print medium by, e.g., an inkjet printing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a printing apparatus for printing an image on a print medium (e.g., print paper sheet) by an electrophotographic method or inkjet printing method includes a data input unit which inputs external data, an image bitmapping unit which bitmaps the input data into an image, and a print unit which prints on a print medium. There is also an arrangement that inputs an image bitmapped externally in advance and directly prints the input image on a print medium.
Examples of a connection between the printing apparatus and an external device are parallel connection, USB connection, and network connection. Especially, network connection allows a plurality of host computers to share a single apparatus. Hence, a printing apparatus connectable to a network is becoming a standard.
Examples of external input data are image data transmitted from an externally connected host computer or digital camera, and document and image files stored in a storage medium such as a flash memory. The image bitmapping unit bitmaps data into an image with a format printable by an electrophotographic method or inkjet printing method.
Such a printing apparatus (to be also referred to as an image forming apparatus) generally includes a controller and an engine unit. External input information is input in a language format that describes the arrangement and expression method of texts and images. The controller analyzes the language and bitmaps the information into a bitmap format. On the other hand, the engine unit receives the image data from the controller and actually prints the image by using a photosensitive drum and an inkjet printhead while conveying a print paper sheet.
Upon language analysis, the controller bitmaps the image and also acquires, from the external input information, various kinds of setting information including the size and type of the print paper sheet, the number of print pages, and the print quality. The controller further acquires various kinds of information about the print process, which are set via an operation panel provided on the printing apparatus, determines final print control information, and notifies the engine unit of it together with the externally input setting information.
The engine unit conveys a print paper sheet and prints on it by using an inkjet printhead (to be referred to as a printhead hereinafter). Scan of the printhead is executed in the following way.
A print paper sheet stored in a feed cassette or feed tray is conveyed until its leading edge comes to the printable position of the printhead (this procedure will be referred to as paper feed hereinafter). After paper feed, one print paper sheet is printed by repeating printing by the printhead and conveyance of the print paper sheet. After printing, the print paper sheet is discharged to the paper discharge port of the apparatus. To print a plurality of pages, paper feed, print, and paper discharge are repeated a number of times equal to the number of pages.
To reliably print on a designated kind of paper sheets on the basis of externally input print data, some apparatuses detect the type of paper sheets set in the feed cassettes and feed paper sheets from a paper feed port with the paper type designated on the basis of the detection result. Some apparatuses can set paper types for a plurality of paper feed ports instead of detecting the paper types, and feed paper sheets from a paper feed port with the designated paper type (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-262994).
The prior arts have the following problems.
If an apparatus has a plurality of paper feed ports, and the paper type limits the paper feed port usable for paper feed, the user must know in advance a paper feed port to set a paper sheet. Especially when printing should be done by, e.g., manual paper feed, i.e., by setting different kinds of paper sheets many times one by one, it is difficult for the user to grasp paper feed ports usable to feed all kinds of paper sheets. This arrangement is not user-friendly.